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10/09/2013

Has Ross Douthat Spotted the Fatal Weakness of Pope Francis?

Pope Francis has been an inspiration to many millions of
people, but Ross Douthat, writing in the Sunday Times, claims to have spied the fatal flaw. Douthat sees an “an
almost-frantic engagement with the lapsed-Catholic, post-Catholic and
non-Catholic world.” He is concerned about the softer tone on abortion and gay
marriage, and he worries that the church will stagnate under his leadership. In
Douthat’s imagination, the Pope will win casual admirers, but not strong
disciples. The Pope’s error on his analysis is that he departs from “traditional”
Catholicism. Douthat believes that only traditional religions are resilient.
The others have lost ground.

If we accept for purposes of argument, the view that only
traditional religions are resilient, we are left to inquire what traditional
Catholicism might be. I do not take Douthat to claim that the Pope has departed
from traditional theological teachings of the Church. Douthat does not suppose
that the Pope is a secularist in Christian disguise. It seems to be the failure
to emphasize the issues favored by conservatives that bugs Douthat.

What is distinctive about the current Pope as opposed to the
last two Popes (though undiscussed by Douthat) is that he has emphasized the Christian
responsibility to care for the poor and he has shunned conspicuous displays of
wealth and power in his daily life. When I went to Catholic schools in the 1940’s
and 1950’s that message was a conspicuous part of the Catholic being. Students
wore uniforms that deemphasized class distinctions and the responsibility to
help the poor was daily reinforced. In fact, Kerry Kennedy has a book
interviewing Catholics and former Catholics about religion and one of the aspects
that impressed me was that virtually all of those interviewed had internalized
the message that everyone had a responsibility to help those in need.

It is the last two popes who abandoned traditional
Catholicism not by renouncing the duty to help those in need or to be critical
of unjust hierarchies, but by emphasizing issues like abortion and
homosexuality. Meanwhile the departure of American Catholics has matched the
decline of American Protestants except the American Catholic Church has been
fortunate that immigration has masked this decline. I do not know if the
current Pope’s emphasis on poverty and humility will help reverse the outflow
of Catholics from the Church. But I know of another religious leader who never
spoke of abortion or homosexuality, but did speak hundreds of times about the
poor and the rich. He had a significant impact. You may remember him. The New
Testament tells his story in some depth.